John Hickman

John is a screenwriter, director and author based in Newcastle upon Tyne. His children’s television script, The Things, was a winner of the BAFTA Rocliffe and BBC Writersroom children’s writing competitions, and he has been commissioned by CBBC to write a compilation script for The Dumping Ground. John has also successfully completed a BBC Drama Doctors shadow scheme, earning a commission for the series. His children’s book, Freaks United, was published in 2016, and his next book series, The Football Trials, will be published by Bloomsbury. John collaborates with a group of North East-based filmmakers, with whom he has written and directed numerous films, including a micro-budget feature. His short films have won awards at worldwide film festivals and he currently has a number of film and TV projects in development.

He has an MA in Creative Writing from Newcastle University, in which he gained a distinction, as well as a PhD, with a focus on the onscreen fictional depiction of looked-after children, subsequent to several years of social work practice.